Through the years a familiar custom has evolved in which birthdays and similar occasions are celebrated using a symbolic cake which is decorated with appropriate figures and legends fashioned from pastry icing or the like. In accordance with the evolving custom, a number of candles, often representative of the age of the birthday celebrant, are embedded in an upright position on the cakes upper surface. Thereafter, the candles are lit and the celebrant is invited to attempt to blow the candles out, usually with the object of accomplishing the extinguishing of all candles in a single breath. After the celebrant has successfully blown out all of the candles, the candles are removed and the cake is divided among the remaining celebrants and guests and is eaten.
While the foregoing described custom is one gayly celebrated and enthusiastically entered into by the participants, there are several aspects of it which provide somewhat undesirable side effects. For example, many persons feel uncomfortable about the consumption of a cake right after the birthday celebrant has blown the candles out for fear of some unsanitary aspect. In addition, the embedding of the candles in the frosting and decorative icing and their removal prior to cutting the cake before consumption, generally results in partially ruining the decorative icing and frosting. Finally, the embedding of the candles in the icing and removal therefrom, frequently wastes a substantial part of the frosting and decorative icing because of its tendency to adhere to the candles which are ultimately thrown away. Moreover, the candles, which are generally made of wax, after even short period of burning, often drip melted wax upon the surrounding cake surface which, must itself, be removed prior to cutting.
Because of the foregoing problems, there has arisen a need in the art for a better approach to the celebration of occasions such as a birthday in which candles are placed upon a decorated cake and extinguished by blowing of one or more participants.